Xu Buling arrived at the backyard. As soon as he turned into the corridor, Xiao Xiang 'er, who had been waiting for a long time, appeared at the door.
As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. The day before the ship arrived in Huainan, Xiao Xiang 'er couldn't sit still anymore. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. At dawn, she began to dress up. Her lips were red, her eyebrows were black, and her red silk dress was neatly arranged with cloud patterns. Her long hair was coiled into a cloud bun, Xu Buling's favorite. A golden hairpin was inserted in the bun, and her two emerald earrings trembled as she walked.
Her red dress was dazzling in the wind and snow.
Perhaps because she didn't want to appear too eager in front of her lover, Xiao Xiang 'er stood outside the door with her hands folded on her waist. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing a moving but very calm smile. She said lightly,
"You're back?"
Xu Buring's eyes were curved, and his gaze was filled with gentleness. He quickly walked to the door, raised his arms, and gave her a bear hug.
"Baby, did you miss me?"
Xiao Xiang 'er's feet were lifted off the ground. Her red embroidered shoes with peonies gently kicked the hem of her skirt. She patted him on the shoulder.
"Xu Buling, behave yourself. Don't touch me when we meet. What a scandal …"
Xiao Xiang 'er was always tough when she was not pressed down. Xu Buling didn't care at all. He carried her into the room and sat down on the carved soft couch. He cupped his face and took a few big mouthfuls.
"Pop, pop, pop …"
"Ouch …"
Xiao Xiang 'er squinted and leaned back to dodge. She resisted a few times, but it didn't work. She covered Xu Buling's mouth with her hand and frowned.
"Talk first. We haven't seen each other for so long. Is this all you think about?"
Xu Buling smiled and sat down against the soft couch. He said softly, "I'm afraid that I'm anxious. You can talk after you satisfy my craving."
"Who's anxious?"
Xiao Xiang'er slightly glared at him. She looked like she had a pure heart and few desires. She sat a little to the side and even took out a handkerchief to wipe her cheeks with disdain. "I think you're the one who's greedy, right? I'm not the kind of woman who covets men. I've lived a peaceful life without you around these days … "
Xu Buling didn't believe her at all. He picked up Xiang 'er's leg and touched it along her ankle.
"Really? Let me touch it … "
Xiao Xiang'er kicked her embroidered shoes twice and said angrily, "Do you want to die ~" She pressed down on her skirt and pushed Xu Buring away, "Let's talk business first. Did you settle my sister during your trip to Jiangnan?"
Xu Buring retracted his hand and sat down properly. With a chuckle, he said, "It must have been settled. Your sister agreed to marry into Suzhou and has already gone to the conference hall to discuss this matter with the various uncles."
Xiao Xiang 'er didn't know that she had swapped identities with her sister. Seeing that her sister, who had always been arrogant and assertive, gave in so quickly, she frowned slightly and said,
"You didn't force my sister, did you? Xu Buling, let me tell you in advance. If you dare to force my sister to submit to you with dirty means, I'll hate you for the rest of my life. "
"Why would I? Well … I killed Yang Yingxiong in Jinling and destroyed Hongshan Lake. Your sister was touched by my chivalrous heart. I even wrote a lot of poems to her, and then …"
"Okay, okay."
Xiao Xiang 'er didn't want to listen to her sister's sweet talk. Now that the matter was settled, they would have to serve the same husband. She looked at Xu Buling with some dissatisfaction in her eyes. She snorted lightly,
"I don't know what good things you did in your previous life to cultivate the blessing you have now … If you don't cherish it, be careful of impotence!"
Xu Buling nodded seriously. After thinking for a while, he took out a rouge box and rice paper from his arms,
"I picked this for the baby in Hangzhou. In fact, we have all of them in our house. I couldn't find a better one, so I thought about it and drew a little thing …"
Xiao Xiang 'er knew her brother's nature well. He always studied all kinds of things. Only the useful ones accounted for 10%, and the rest were used to bully people. She took it with a strange look in her eyes. She put the rouge box beside her hand, unfolded the rice paper and looked at it a few times,
"Is … is this shoe a weapon? Won't it sprain my ankle if I put the awl under the heel? "
"I don't need to walk in it. I can just lie down …"
"Hmm???"
…
Xiao Qi handed the official seal to her nephew. She hadn't gotten married yet, so she didn't unload all the burdens. She only had time to walk out of the room after she finished the tedious work that had piled up in the study. It was already dark.
Xiao Ting was also in the study. Maybe he knew how heavy the burden was now, so he didn't go out to have fun. He sat behind the desk, with piles of files in front of him, and learned about the various projects of the Xiao family from his advisor.
The Xiao family of Huainan had almost no taboos. They were involved in almost everything, from small businesses to farming, medicine refining and metallurgy, to big political fights in the court, and enemy dispatching. It was impossible for an untrained ordinary person to sort out the huge flow of information and analyze the best solution from it. However, there were countless strategists in the family who gave advice and suggestions, so Xiao Qi didn't worry about the decline of the thousand-year-old family. Even if the head of the family was mediocre, it would only be depressed for one generation at most.
Looking at Xiao Ting memorizing seriously, Xiao Qi gave a rare smile. She walked out of the ancestral house alone and came to the mansion where Xu Buling was temporarily staying.
The people living in the mansion were basically all women. When night fell, Zhu Manzhi and Ning Qing Ye were sitting on the roof, enjoying the cold wind and drinking wine. They talked about the sea of flowers in Suzhou and the opening of the Taoist temple.
In the room in the west wing, Song Yufu and Zhongli Chuchu were also together, whispering something. From time to time, they would look up at the roof and then whisper again.
Xiao Qi walked through the corridor and didn't care about the four girls. There were always a few women in the backyard of a rich family. It was fine as long as they didn't make trouble all day and disturb the peace of the mansion.
Walking slowly to the courtyard where Xiao Xiang 'er lived, Xiao Qi looked around. The light was on in the boudoir, and the maids had been sent away. It was quiet and there was no sound.
Xiao Qi stood there and hesitated. She thought that her sister might be intimate with her Langjun. However, she calculated the time that Xu Buling took every time. He should have finished since he came back, so she didn't have to worry too much. She walked to the door and knocked.
"Xiang 'er?"
"Ah —"
A slightly panicked exclamation came from the room.
In the room filled with incense, Xiao Xiang 'er leaned against the couch. She held a small mahogany plate in her hand and carefully carved the word "Zheng" on Xu Buling's face.
Hearing her sister's voice, Xiao Xiang 'er quickly closed the half-open red dress, got up and hid the small box under the soft couch. Then she gestured to Xu Buling who was drinking tea.
"Quick, quick, quick … that … tail …"
Xu Buling didn't seem to hear her. He opened the window and let the cold wind drive away the romantic smell in the room. He walked to the door and opened it.
Outside the room, Xiao Qi, who had just finished her business, didn't have time to put on makeup. She wore a long black dress without any makeup, and she looked very intellectual. Her light red lips were charming, and the yellow light from the lamp shone on her close-fitting dress. The curves of her gourd-like body were revealed. Unlike Xiang 'er, who dared to compete with other flowers, she had a unique scholarly charm.
When Xiao Xiang 'er saw her twin sister, her face instantly turned red. She ran into the room in a panic, just like the saying "live with your tail between your legs" …
Xiao Qi glanced around the room and didn't see any unsightly scene. She breathed a sigh of relief and ignored Xu Buling. She walked into the room and said softly,
"Xiang 'er, why are you running?"
Xiao Xiang 'er stopped in her tracks and quickly turned around. Her charming cheeks were slightly red, and she raised her hand to tidy up her somewhat messy hair.
"Sister, why are you here? Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night … "
Xiao Qi's expression was calm. She sat down on the soft mattress and frowned slightly. "I haven't seen you for a long time. I came back to visit you, and you still dislike me?"
"No … It's just …"
Xiao Xiang 'er's eyes were filled with regret and embarrassment. She glanced at Xu Buling, but Xu Buling closed the door and walked back as if nothing had happened. He sat down on the chair next to him and poured tea for Xiao Qi.
'This bastard …'
Xiao Xiang 'er glared at Xu Buling with a murderous gaze, but she didn't get any response. She could only walk with difficulty to the soft mattress and said with a smile,
"I'm just a little surprised. I … I was talking to Xu Buling. I didn't do anything immoral …"
"Heh …"
Xiao Qi didn't believe this nonsense at all. She didn't take the teacup that Xu Buling handed to her. She patted the side of her body. "Why are you standing there? Come and sit down. I want to talk to you about the future. "
"No … No need …"
Xiao Xiang 'er slowly walked to the back of the soft mattress and massaged Xiao Qi's shoulders. She smiled gently.
"Sister, just say it. I'll listen to everything you say."
Seeing that her sister was so considerate, Xiao Qi's heart warmed a little. She pressed Xiao Xiang 'er's hand on her shoulder and said softly,
"In order for you to be able to meet people openly in the future, I've agreed to marry Xu Buling. But I have to make a promise with you in advance. After we arrive in Suzhou, I'll be in charge of everything at home. You can only go out and relax in the name of a princess. You can't make any decisions, you can't manage the accounts, and you can't interfere with military affairs. "
Xiao Xiang 'er didn't think about this. She quickly nodded and said, "I know, I know. Sister, it's getting late. You've been traveling for a long time. You should go back and rest …"
？？？
Go back and rest? I just sat down …
When Xiao Qi heard this, her heart immediately felt uncomfortable.
For her sister, she first lost her virginity in the palace and suffered in silence. Then, she struggled for half a year. Now, she didn't even care about sharing a husband. As a younger sister, she should be touched, right?
Just because she had a secret meeting with her lover, she chased her sister out. Did she think that she was a wet blanket?
If she didn't take care of this, when she became a princess in the future, she would be bullied to death by her younger sister …
Xiao Qi frowned and pondered for a moment. Then, she stood up and said, "Fine, I won't disturb your rest. Xu Buling, come out with me. I have something to talk to you about."
According to Xiao Qi's prediction, when Xiao Xiang 'er heard this, she would be reluctant to part and think of a way to keep Xu Buling.
However, what Xiao Qi didn't expect was that Xiao Xiang 'er looked as if she had been pardoned. She raised her hand and chased her and Xu Buling out:
"Alright, alright, Xu Buling, quickly accompany sister out …"
This time, Xiao Qi was really confused. Could it be that she was afraid that she would find out that the two of them were having an affair? She had already guessed it before coming here. What was there to hide …
Xu Buling, who was drinking tea at the side, saw this and stood up. He smiled and said,
"Since we are here and it's snowing outside, it's not convenient to go back in the dark. Miss, why don't you rest here?"
Xiao Xiang 'er didn't understand. She raised her hand and said, "Yes, Xu Buling, send sister down to rest."
Xiao Qi looked a little strange. She looked at Xu Buling's body and said inexplicably,
"Can you do it? Aren't you afraid of dying of exhaustion? "
"…"
Xu Buring took a deep breath. With a gentle and refined smile on his face, he spread his hands slightly.
"Do you want to try?"
"Tsk ~" Xiao Qi turned around and walked out. It seemed that she didn't want to try. Unfortunately, after taking two steps, she was held up by Xu Buling with one hand.
Xiao Xiang 'er, who was seeing them off, was stunned and a little annoyed. "Xu Buling, how dare you …" Before she finished her words, she saw that her sister, who never lost her dignity in front of others, didn't look surprised when she was held up by the waist. She even naturally put her arms around Xu Buling's neck.
？？？
Although Xiao Xiang 'er was not as smart as Xiao Qi, she was not stupid at all. She immediately realized that something was wrong. She opened her mouth slightly and her eyes were full of astonishment.
Xiao Qi's absolutely rational way of thinking made her adapt to everything quickly. She had already decided to marry Xu Buling, so she didn't act coy in front of her sister. Because she was hurt by Xiang 'er in the past, she still wanted to take revenge. She patted Xu Buling's chest and said softly,
"Husband, let's go back to our room."
！！！
Xiao Xiang 'er's almond-shaped eyes widened. She only thought that she had heard it wrong. She didn't expect that her omnipotent sister would become like this in just a few days. "Is this still the sister who can be a national knight if she is a man?" "Has she been bewitched?"
"Maybe she really has been bewitched. She seemed to be like this in the past …"
Thoughts changed countless times in her mind. Facing her sister's snatching of her love, Xiao Xiang 'er didn't say anything. Instead, she raised her hand and urged Xu Buling, "Go and accompany your sister …"
Hearing this, Xiao Qi was completely stunned.
"Is this still my sister who wants to snatch everything?" "I've already started to snatch your man. Why are you so generous?"
The two sisters stared at each other, not understanding what the other was trying to do.
Xu Buling coughed softly and chuckled. "Don't quarrel, um … Let's rest." Then he blew out the candles and held Xiang 'er up.
Xiao Qi was stunned and immediately reacted. Her eyes were full of shame and indignation.
"Ahhh! Xu Buling! How dare you! Put me down … "
Xiao Xiang 'er was also stunned. But at this time, her mind was completely not on this matter. She shook her head in embarrassment. "Good brother, don't. Next time. You send me back to my room first. I'll listen to you … "
"Xiang 'er! What's wrong with you? Why are you so afraid of him? "
"I … Xu Buling, get out!"
"Can you be more fierce?"
"You … Ahhh! Forget it. I won't argue with you. I'll go out. You and Xiang 'er have a good chat. Hey, hey, hey …"
"Good brother, you … I'm going to bite you …"
…
"Eh? Xiang 'er, behind you … I see …"
"I don't want to live anymore … I …"
The winter wind rustled, and the courtyard was quiet.
Snowflakes fell silently in the garden. The scenery here was beautiful …
